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Could Speaker Paul Ryan's firing of House chaplain be reversed? Some lawmakers hope so

Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democrat from Virginia, is leading a bipartisan campaign to reverse Speaker Paul Ryan’s decision to fire the House chaplain, Rev. Pat Conroy. “The immediate task at hand is to restore the dignity of the House and the good name of the chaplain," he told USA TODAY.

Could Speaker Paul Ryan's firing of House chaplain be reversed? Some lawmakers hope so

Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Democrat from Virginia, is leading a bipartisan campaign to reverse Speaker Paul Ryan’s decision to fire the House chaplain, Rev. Pat Conroy.

“I’ve received a number of phone calls from both Democrats and Republicans,” Connolly said in a phone interview Wednesday.

But it's not clear if rank-and-file lawmakers have the power to undo Ryan's decision — or how they would go about it.

Ryan created a firestorm when he fired Conroy, the second Catholic to hold the post of House chaplain. Many Democrats accused the speaker of ousting Conroy because of a prayer he offered on Nov. 6, as Republicans were preparing to vote on their tax cut proposal, that urged lawmakers to strive for economic equality in the bill.

“Apparently protecting the poor and talking about fairness is now a firing offense in the House of Representatives,” Connolly told USA Today last week.

Ryan's spokeswoman, AshLee Strong, strongly disputed that Conroy was removed because of what she called "a political prayer." Ryan is also Catholic.

“The speaker made the decision he believes to be in the best interest of the House, and he remains grateful for Father Conroy’s many years of service,” Strong said.

At a summit in Milwaukee, the speaker said, "This was not about politics or prayers, it was about pastoral services. And a number of our members felt like the pastoral services were not being adequately served, or offered."

Connolly said his conversations with other irked lawmakers are focused on ways to keep Conroy in his post until at least the end of this year and possibly longer. Connolly’s efforts were first reported by HuffPost.

He said Conroy's letter of resignation has already been introduced and accepted on the House floor, so his supporters might have to push for a vote to rescind that or amend it. The letter sets Conroy's last day as May 24.

Connolly suggested they could change that so Conroy could stay until the next Congress convenes in January 2019 and then establish a search committee to pick the next chaplain. He said that new committee could consider Conroy among other contenders.

Strong, Ryan's spokeswoman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Connolly's efforts.

Conroy was appointed to the House chaplain post in 2011, when then-Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, was House speaker. Connolly said many lawmakers have grown close to Conroy over the last seven years and come to rely on him for solace and counseling.